I share this information about a study carried out and published earlier this year relating to nutritional risks associated with prolonged use of the drug omeprazole.
I have previously shared articles on this as we have experienced problems with use of said PPI Omeprazole.
This is not to say everyone is affected, it’s just our experience and it is for you to decide if it may affect you and if so what you might wish to do about it.
You should always seek professional advice on use of medications that have been prescribed for your use.
Let’s be honest here. We don’t know what any prescribed medication / Over the counter medication or herbal medication is actually doing to our bodies. But unfortunately I like many others have no other option but to take them. And we have done so for many years and will do so for many years to come.
I do try not to take over the counter medication but in the past have. Now though I ask my Dr first. Has for herbal medication I do stay clear of it. Due mainly to the fact it’s not regulated in the same way.
L really do wonder about them too, prescribed them and only medication say asthma inhalers until my stroke then it was changed to lanzoprolole in hospital. But after my most recent stuff started reading and was taken aback more than a little.
It seems the resulting B12 deficency can be caused by PPI’s which was never pointed out to me, sometimes before stroke would just feel totally exhausted and put it down to over training, hectic lifestyle and nor maybe sleeping enough. The B12 testing showed that mines was almost nil but have been taking PPI’s for 15 years now and nobody once suggested testing just in case until hospital the last time. So three consultants , several senior nurses and various others all never thought about testing when I was saying how tired I felt some days. But all knew PPI’s can inhibit B12 absorbtion for some of us. Makes you wonder at times.
I think there have been many studies around this and they advise against long term use. I was told omeprazole and clopidogrel don’t mix whicj is why we get prescribed Lansoprazole.
It is all personal choice as none of us have to take anything but for most of us I guess we choose to as we feel it to be of benefit. We’ll never really know for sure as we probably haven’t tried the alternative.
I did suffer from acid reflux while being PEG fed and took simple gaviscon,since I started eating real food the acid reflux went away,so I stopped the gaviscon.I know some are still PEG fed but even a simple plain yoghurt would make a big difference.
Phil - you are not wrong and there is nothing to correct. Everything you say is 100% correct and we must each do what is right for us as individuals. To do that, we must be able to recognise what our body is telling us and we should learn to listen to our body.
I have no doubts about you doing the right thing for you
I suspect your experience is not unique. My view is many of us almost certainly experience this and perhaps in the main “get away” with the impact as we may only be exposed to these medications for a short time. The problems may occur through long term use and then as a result the body gets used to it or starts counter acting etc. Then you may end up taking other medications which may interact etc.
Whilst doctors and healthcare professionals may be aware, I suspect they do not necessarily go out of their way to think of long term implications (I know this was the case with Mum and I know the reasons behind it too, or I believe I do). For that reason, I would say the onus is on me as the patient to be confident I know what I am subjecting myself to by allowing the healthcare professionals to help me.
Quite often, and certainly most GPs won’t know these things. It’s only when you end up under specialist care e.g. following a stroke that these things may crawl out of the woodwork. Even then it might be by chance rather than by design.
It can be hard to know what is right, but I always say and this is Mum’s view, always, always listen to your body. Your body is the expert and when it tells you something, you would be well advised to listen and if you don’t understand, ask, seek professional advice, but don’t ignore.
So true. We may never really know, but our body always knows and it tries hard to tell us. We are just not smart enough to a) listen and b) understand.
Michelle - Unfortunately whilst being PEG fed and strictly sticking to “nil-by-mouth” even a spoonful of yoghurt was out of the question. One of the downsides of being PEG fed and not getting the medical clearance for “safe swallow”. You know from personal experience how someone can sometimes get lost in the system and as a consequence …
Yes @manjiB I do know from personal experience but my body was telling me to eat for over a year before I did.i had both a barium swallow X-ray and a FEEs endoscopy both deemed my swallow intact which I knew,I do have a little nasal regurgitation with fluids as my muscles strengthen to close my nasal passage when I swallow.
